Supply chains are running at full steam in 2019 as some economies boom, while others take hits from obstacles to open commerce and trade. From protectionist trade policies to ever-increasing costs to product recall challenges, Amber Road’s subject-matter experts provide some revolutionary best practices in a range of industry publications to help companies keep the wheels of trade moving.

A great supply chain partner is one who knows exactly what ingredients a company needs to make their operations successful — and those that can be skipped. As a software provider, it’s critical that the functionality and tools support the marketplace, across all industries and company size. To highlight companies that possess these important characteristics, SupplyChainBrain has announced the 100 Great Supply Chain Partners of 2018 and Amber Road has emerged as one of those highly-valued companies.

Imagine you're planning a potluck. Each friend is assigned to bring their specialty - a tasty homemade dish, the centerpiece honeybaked ham, their secret-recipe apple pie - and you, the host, need to coordinate it all. Thing is, one of your friends is in Vietnam. The other is on a cargo ship in the North Pacific. And the only tools you have at your disposal are a fax machine and an Excel spreadsheet that no one else can see. How is your potluck going to be a success?

Of course, that's not how anyone plans a party these days. Individuals can easily communicate and collaborate across borders to share plans and ideas instantly. But creating a digital model for your company's global supply chain is a lot more complex than simply downloading Venmo. You'll need to transform your entire ecosystem and technology stack - no simple task.

Who should be included in your new digital model of your supply chain, what will they contribute and how will that be shared and consumed? What are the benefits?

It's just like a potluck, only a lot bigger. And more complex.

Join ARC Advisory Group and Amber Road for a webinar to discover how you can begin to build a truly digital supply chain.

One indicator of the impact climate change is making on Vietnam is the migratory shift of inhabitants from the agriculturally-rich Mekong Delta to urban areas. According to government statistics, more than 1.7 million residents have relocated out of the vast expanse of fields, rivers and canals over the last ten years. Natural disasters have vexed the regional farmers trying to make a living of rice, shrimp, and fruit production and harvesting for export. One in-depth study on migration in deltas revealed that climate factors such as extreme floods, cyclones, erosion, and land degradation play a role in making natural resource-based livelihoods more difficult, further encouraging inhabitants to migrate.

It certainly was hot in July – heat waves across the US and Europe, and everyone’s focus on global trade. Amber Road is all over the news talking about digital best practices and solutions including where to find the value and business benefits of going digital with your supply chain, real benefits of US reshoring for manufacturers, and the answers to ethical and social compliance across the supply chain.

There is no doubt that blockchain technology has the powerful potential to improve digital supply chains and global trade management. But how?

That's the question Dan Gardner, VP of Supply Chain for Lakeshore Learning Materials and co-founder of Trade Facilitators, Inc., and Amber Road’s Ty Bordner both answered during Amber Road's recent webinar, Blockchain for Global Supply Chain: Ghost in the Machine or Breakthrough Technology? Of course, blockchain is such a top topic these days that Dan and Ty's introduction sparked a ton of debate, and they were only able to address a fraction of viewers' questions during the hour-long webcast. Luckily, we've compiled their answers to these queries below. See if they've answered some of your biggest questions about how blockchain can be applied to the global supply chain, then watch the webinar on-demand here.

Question: Although I understand "how" this can work for the Global Supply Chain, what I don't understand is "why" it could be preferable to existing data tracking tools?

Answer: As we all know, the global supply chain is highly complex, and there are many different types of use cases spanning the process from purchase order to payment. Not all of the processes are appropriate for Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). The most appropriate use cases would have attributes which lend themselves to the need for absolute trust and exchange of value.

Q: As a solo exporter, should I adopt this system in my trade financing operations? Can a block of documents be used for satisfying the Letter of Credit (L/C) performance?

A: The Letter of Credit use case seems to be very compelling for DLT (i.e. Blockchain). There clearly is an exchange of value with a Letter of Credit and many of the terms and conditions of an LC can be automated as part of set of business rules (smart contracts). Of course the information representing the LC and the actual movement of the goods (BoL, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, etc.) must be in a digital form.

Q: Contracts are confidential, but how does confidentiality/anonymity work in a distributed ledger?

A: Blockchain (DLT) technology can be implemented in different ways. There is a concept of a public blockchain (Ex. Bitcoin) and a private or permissioned blockchain. In a permissioned blockchain only the parties that have been given privileges will be able to see confidential information.

CA Proposition 65 (Prop 65) is a major concern for brands that will heavily influence California’s consumer product regulations. All manufacturers, distributors, and retailers that sell or distribute consumer products in California will be required to comply with the state’s new warning requirement regulations—meaning your compliance with product testing standards has to extend beyond California borders.